Asia

China, India and the Karmapa Lama

The Karmapa's comeuppance?

A CONTROVERSY that has festered for years among Tibetans has flared up. Ever since the infant Ogyen Trinley Dorje was recognised in 1992 by both the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama as the 17th incarnation of the Karmapa Lama, head of one of the schools of Tibetan Buddhism, he has faced challenges from rival claimants. And ever since 1999, when he fled from Tibet to India, some Indians have been suspicious of him, fearing that China helped him escape, hoping to make use of him.

Now he has been questioned by the Indian police after huge amounts of cash—the equivalent of $1.6m in some reports—in various currencies, including Chinese yuan, were seized from Gyuto, the monastery he occupies near the Dalai Lama's base in Dharamsala, in northern India. Two people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

The suspicion is that some of the money came from China, for the Karmapa to use to buy influence in Tibetan monasteries in India, notably in Sikkim—where the 16th Karmapa had his seat at Rumtek monastery. On January 31st India's home minister, Palaniappan Chidambaram, said no conclusion had been drawn as to whether he was a Chinese agent or not. China's government, for its part, has felt moved to deny that it sent a living Buddha into India to spy for it, and has lamented the “mistrustful attitude” the Indian suspicions betray.

The Karmapa has denied any wrongdoing and has said the money was donated by adherents. It is true that his lineage has many wealthy backers. His predecessor's monastery at Rumtek (pictured below) has a lavishly financed institute, with plaques listing donors from all over the world. And the 17th Karmapa's audiences at Gyuto are packed with pilgrims with deep pockets.

As if the embarrassing hoard of cash were not enough, the doubts about Ogyen Trinley's claim to be the Karmapa have also been aired again. The Times of India has reported that his medical records have gone missing from an institute at Chandigarh in the state of Punjab, where he was examined after reaching India. The significance is that his opponents claim they showed him to be older than stated on the birth certificate he provided attested by the Dalai Lama, implying he is too old to be the true incarnation.

Thousands have thronged Gyuto to show their solidarity with the Karmapa. He has a big following for a number of reasons: his predecessor's success in building a global network; his own stature and charisma; and the support of the Dalai Lama himself. The Dalai Lama, too, has backed his protégé, though chiding him gently for sending “wrong signals” by keeping the money in cash.

It does seem incredible that China and the Karmapa are in cahoots, or even that China connived in his escape and has been using him as a stooge. His flight to India was humiliating for China: even a young monk it had feted and nurtured to help bolster its rule in Tibet rejected it in the most dramatic way. But as I suggested in my print column on January 8th, the ructions the Karmapa disputes have caused among exiled Tibetans may have given China the last laugh.

They also have implications for another theme of that column—the Dalai Lama's hints at his own retirement from political involvement. The Karmapa is perhaps the only other exile who could come close to unifying Tibetans. His troubles make the Dalai Lama's hopes of a retreat into a purely religious role even harder to realise.

I have several Tibetans friends. I know that Tibetans are very generous to their religious teachers. About 10 years ago, I found that a Tibetan friend donated about 2000 yuan to Tibetan monasteries every month. 2000 yuan was big money at that time in China. I asked him why he donated so much money to Tibetan monks. He said he prayed the Buddha to give him a job with at least monthly salary 2000 yuan. The Buddha gave him a job with 4000 yuan monthly salary. So 2000 yuan did not belong to him but belong to the Buddha. That was why he donated 2000 yuan to Tibetan monasteries. So I am not surprised to know that Karmapa's adherents donate him much money. He only got about 9 million yuan. If he had stayed in China, he would have gotten much more money. I believe that now Karmapa must be regretful to have gone to India.

If China really wants to buy any spy in India, isn't it safe to buy Indian politicians? Indian politicians are so corrupt that China can easily buy them.

"China’s government, for its part, has felt moved to deny that it sent a living Buddha into India to spy for it, and has lamented the “mistrustful attitude” the Indian suspicions betray."
You've got to be kidding me! This coming from the country that shows Arunachal Pradesh as Chinese territory in their mass-produced low quality maps!!

The suggestion that he is too old to be the real incarnation is nonsense- I met him as a child in the mid 90's in his monastery in Tsurpu in Tibet and I met him again in 2005 in India. There is no doubt that he is the one and same person.
Furthermore, there is no mystery in his officials possessing chinese currency- his Tibetans followers in Tibet use yuan, and not to forget the millions of Chinese Buddhists.

It is not surprise that the holy men has lot of different currencies. He has lot of different believers from around the world, not only Asian. Has he also lot of US dollars, then he has American dollars earning believers. Simple as that. He don´t even know how much he get, all he should know is how much he can support the monestry to keep going. That is not a easy job for him.

Indian government should stop harrass him, leave them alone. Don´t use him to attack any one. It is very low quality of politic.

///If the accusation is unfounded, the reputation of India and Indians will stink to their "fifthy" sewage in New Dehli///

firstly improve your english,secondly....
Indian govt has not officially accused him of being a Chinese spy, he was simply asked how did he have 1.6 million $ in neat stacks fresh from bank and till now he has not been able to defend himself

If the accusation is unfounded, the reputation of India and Indians will stink to their fifthy sewage in New Dehli
If the accusation is later found to be true, the honorable thing that Karmapa will do is to go back home in Tibet.

Rumtek doesn't belong to Orgien Trinley any more. Please don't mix real 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje with that person as it'll bring bad name to Karmapa title. Guy from this article has been choosen by Dalai Lama, who can not choose Karmapa, and chinese goverment..that's I think the best part. From when Chinese goverment is responsible for finding reincarnations of high Lamas? Please use your brains... it's so simple:)

Surprising how the oppressors of Tibetan culture are here in good strength to 'sympathise' with the 'Karmapa'. Not long ago, these people arrested and threw into prison on a 18 year sentence, a 'pro-CCP' Tibetan leader on false charges of acquiring some piece of land. He showed all the legal title documents. But that is no use in the face of these advocates of 'harmony'.

Free and true Tibetan culture lives in India. In China's Tibet, Tibetans are merely 'sweepers and cleaners' of malls owned by Han Chinese.

There is no danger of any Tibetan leader there with 1.6million in foreign currency!!

I know someone is going to bring out the 'real' Karmapa, Trinley, who first claim to be the reincarnate of Karmapa, then changed the story to be the 'second embodiment' of Karmapa ('because Karmapa's soul is big enough to occupy two bodies!'). After Dalai Lama agree that Orgien is the real Karmapa and Orgien showed up in India, Trinley has faded away.